This invention relates to electromagnetic actuator assemblies and in particular to novel improved linear voice-coil assemblies adapted for reciprocating magnetic transducer means relative to magnetic recording surfaces.
Workers know that computers today commonly employ magnetic disk files for recording and storing data. Disk files have the advantage of facilitating data transfer at randomly selected address locations (tracks) and without need for a "serial seek" as with magnetic tape. Such transducers must be reciprocated very rapidly between selected address locations (tracks) with high precision. This will be recognized as depending on how fast the system can move a transducer between locations; and do so with high positional accuracy between closely-spaced track addresses. This constraint becomes very tricky as track density increases.
Disk file systems commonly mount a transducer head on an arm carried by a block that is supported by a carriage. This carriage is usually mounted on tracks for reciprocation by an associated transducer actuator. This invention is concerned with improving the efficiency of such actuators; and particularly with improving linear "voice-coil" positioners.